Assumption of the Virgin (detail) 1517

Rosso Fiorentino painted this section of the "Assumption of the Virgin" around the 16th century, capturing the Apostles' awe. Haloed, they gaze upwards, a motif resonating with divine encounters across epochs and cultures. This upward gaze is not merely a physical act but a symbolic yearning—a reaching for the heavens, for enlightenment, for the divine embrace. Consider the ancient Egyptians with their eyes following the sun god Ra, or the mystics of various traditions seeking transcendent visions. The book held by one Apostle is also another powerful symbol. The book—a vessel of knowledge, divine or otherwise—appears in countless forms across history: from the tablets of ancient Sumer to the sacred scrolls of various religions. They each represent something to strive towards and to live by. Such artistic representations speak to our collective memory and subconscious, revealing how certain gestures and symbols elicit profound emotional and psychological responses. This upward gaze and holding the book has proven to be a cyclical progression, resurfacing, evolving, and adopting new meanings throughout history.